Prince William says he is 'not in a calm state' at first public appearance since Andrew arrest

The Prince of Wales has said he needs to be in a “calm state” to watch Hamnet as he attended the Bafta awards, adding: “I’m not at the moment”.

William, who is president of the arts charity, walked down the red carpet with his wife, the Princess of Wales, at the Royal Festival Hall by the South Bank in London on Sunday.

The event marked their first public appearance since Andrew's arrest.

Andrew was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, spending 11 hours in custody on his 66th birthday, after allegations he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.

Speaking to Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, and Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT Group, The Prince of Wales said that he had not yet watched Hamnet, which won Outstanding British Film.

“I need to be in quite a calm state and I’m not at the moment,” he said. “I will save it.”

Hamnet, the big-screen adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel, tells the story of the family life of William Shakespeare and the death of his young son.

The film was nominated for 11 Baftas, with Jessie Buckley winning Best actress in a leading role for her starring role.

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Princess Kate said she saw the highly nominated film on Saturday.

Chatting with the chairwoman of Bafta’s film committee, Emily Stillman, and executive director of the charity’s awards and content, Emma Baehr, the princess said: “Yes, I think it was a very bad idea actually… ended up with very puffy eyes.”

She said it was “really very very powerful”, praising the “fantastic” and “raw” music score and talking about its portrayal of “intergenerational grief”.

Towards the end of the show, William presented the Bafta fellowship award to NBCUniversal’s chair of entertainment, Dame Donna Langley, for her outstanding contribution to film and television.

He said: “Her transformative leadership and unwavering commitment to creative partnership have brought some of this century’s most iconic films to the big screen and to audiences around the world.

“She has championed films that have shaped culture, and is responsible for some of our most beloved franchises.”

This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson.